Randall Matthew Batinkoff (born October 16, 1968) is an American actor, known for his roles in the films '' For Keeps'', ''

School Ties ''School Ties'' is a 1992 American drama film directed by Robert Mandel and starring Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Chris O'Donnell, Randall Batinkoff, Andrew Lowery, Cole Hauser, Ben Affleck, and Anthony Rapp. Fraser plays the lead role as David ...

'', and ''

Higher Learning ''Higher Learning'' is a 1995 American drama, drama film written and directed by John Singleton and starring an ensemble cast. The film follows the changing lives of three incoming freshmen at the fictional Columbus University: Malik Williams (Om ...

''.

Early life and education

Batinkoff was born in

Monticello, New York Monticello ( ) is a village located in Thompson, Sullivan County, within the Catskills region of New York, United States. The population was 7,173 at the 2020 census. It is the seat for the Town of Thompson and the county seat of Sullivan Count ...

, the son of Barbara (née Carnel) and Barry Batinkoff, a photographer. He was raised near Ferndale,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. His sister is event planner Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. After his parents divorced, his mother remarried to Bruce Winston, the son of jeweler

Harry Winston Harry Winston (March 1, 1896December 8, 1978) was an American jeweler. He donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in 1958 after owning it for a decade. He also traded the Portuguese Diamond to the Smithsonian in 1963 in exchan ...

. Batinkoff attended

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...

and

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

, receiving a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

Career

Batinkoff made his television debut in a 1974 commercial, after an agent spotted him at a toy store. He appeared in several

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

films in the 1980s, such as ''

The Stepford Children ''The Stepford Children'' is a 1987 American made-for-television horror science fiction thriller film inspired by the Ira Levin novel '' The Stepford Wives''. It was directed by Alan J. Levi with a screenplay by Bill Bleich and starring Barbar ...

'', before being cast opposite teen starlet

Molly Ringwald Molly Kathleen Ringwald (born February 18, 1968) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and author. She was cast in her first major role as Molly in the NBC sitcom '' The Facts of Life'' (1979–80) after a casting director saw her playing an or ...

in the 1988 comedy, '' For Keeps''. He starred as Terrance Dean on the short-lived CBS series, '' Better Days'' which only lasted 5 weeks before being canceled. In the early 1990s, Batinkoff had roles in several widely released films, including ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. It is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film of the same name, also written by W ...

'', '' The Player'', ''

'' (all released 1992) and 1995's ''

''. From 1994 to 1995, he played

Reverend The Reverend is an style (manner of address), honorific style most often placed before the names of Christian clergy and Minister of religion, ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and c ...

David Grantland on the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

television series, '' Christy''. He also appeared in the 1997 film ''

As Good as It Gets ''As Good as It Gets'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by James L. Brooks, who co-wrote it with Mark Andrus. The film stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, bigoted, and obsessive–compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt ...

'' where he shared an on-screen kiss with

Helen Hunt Helen Elizabeth Hunt (born June 15, 1963) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. Hunt rose to fame portraying Jam ...

. Batinkoff still acts regularly in television, on stage, and in films. He most recently appeared in the made-for-television movies ''Skip Tracer'' and '' Black Widow'', and the film ''The Last Lullaby'' and ''

Munger Road Munger Road is a road in DuPage and Cook counties in Illinois, running through the villages of Bartlett and Wayne. It runs north–south for from West Bartlett Road to Smith Road. The railroad crossing near Stearns Road is said to be the si ...

''.

Personal life

Batinkoff is married to Brown classmate Hilary Lambert and they have a daughter.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

* * * 1968 births Male actors from New York (state) American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Brown University alumni Jewish American male actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Living people People from the Catskills People from Liberty, New York People from Monticello, New York People from Thompson, New York 21st-century American Jews {{US-theat-actor-1960s-stub